


Getting back in the saddle

by bethonie (Formula_Tea)



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Horses, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-06 17:37:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3142943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formula_Tea/pseuds/bethonie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is probably the weirdest thing I've written. I've lost the prompt, but it was something alone the lines of Felipe as a cowboy for the Ferrari family when they replace the old horse, Kimi, with a new one, Fernando, due to an accident.<br/>I don't know how well I've filled this prompt (I've never done a prompt before).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this may be really weird but enjoy?

Felipe watches his son go around on one of the ponies, clapping his hands whilst Rob walks round with him and keeps him upright.

“Would have thought he would be scared of them,” Raffaela says, joining her husband at the fence.

“He shouldn’t be,” Felipe says. Maybe he had nearly died. Maybe he shouldn’t be standing here today. But that shouldn’t be any reason to be scared of the animals. Maybe the _one_ horse.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to carry on,” Raffaela says, but she knew as soon as she saw the look in Felipe’s eyes that he can’t say that. She shakes her head. “Felipe, the family have said they’d pay you anyway. You could work in the stables, just please don’t get on another horse.”

“It wasn’t being _on_ the horse that was the problem,” Felipe says, even though he knows it’s useless. He feels guilty. Of course he does. He was never the one who had to face the idea of losing their life partner, of bringing up a child alone. If it had been him in that position, he would be doing the exact same thing as Raffaela. But he can’t _not_ get back on a horse. “And anyway,” he tries. “They have sold Kimi. There is a new horse.”

“Like that will be any better,” Raffaela mutters.

She has her arms crossed and is no longer looking at him, watching Felipinho giggle and ask for just one more go around.

“They say he is a better horse,” Felipe says. “Calmer than Kimi was. Easier to control and less stubborn.”

“Less likely to kick you in the head,” Raffaela cuts in, coldly.

Felipe sighs and leans against the fence again. “Yes.”

What she doesn’t know is that the accident was a blessing in disguise. If it wasn’t for that, he’d probably be out of the job by now. Money was tight, he’d been told already it was either him or the horse that had to go, but there was no way they could fire him and keep Kimi after the horse had lashed out at him.

“I know,” Raffaela says, quietly. “I know _why_ you still want to do this. But you do not owe them anything, Felipe. And you certainly do not owe them your life.”

“Look at us,” Felipe says, waving around. “We are happy. We have a nice house and plenty of food and we get to have nice things when we want them. I am doing what I love and I get to see you and Felipinho happy. That is why I do this, Raffaela. That is the only reason.”

He bows his head and hopes she believes him. He’s doing this, whether he has her blessing or not, but he does not want to lose her as well.

There’s silence for a while but for the sound of the pony going round in circles and Felipinho babbling along. Felipe’s glad he hasn’t scared him for life. Glad the child didn’t know how close it had all been and will probably never remember this.

“Alright,” Raffaela says eventually. “Does this horse have a name? Or is it just the calm one?”

“He has a name,” Felipe says, but he can’t for the life of him remember. He smiles at that. Probably a sign of brain damage. “Begins with an F.”

“That is an odd name for a horse,” Raffaela says.

“Fernando.”

“What?”

“The horse’s name is Fernando.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This in no way follows on directly from the last chapter. There's a huge gap. I can't guarantee there will/won't be anything after this. Also, sorry about the change in tense.

As soon as the stable doors closed, Felipe screamed. The horses stared at him, startled and confused, but he paid them no attention.

“She cannot make me chose.”

She just did not understand. Thought all the horses lined up in the stable were the same but they weren’t. It would not matter if she just accepted that he knew more about this kind of thing than she did but no. She would insist she was right. Always claiming that Fernando was the same as Kimi and he just wasn’t.

“You’re not,” Felipe said, gently, turning to the horse in question. The creature looked back at him and Felipe was sure he saw love there. Fernando had no idea what he was saying or what was going on, and his peaceful eyes settled Felipe.

He sighed and turned away from the horse.

“She does not understand,” he said, quietly. “And do not know how to make her understand. Have tried showing her.”

Raffaela had completely flipped when she caught Felipe with Felipinho, lifting the small child up so he could feed the horse carrots. Kimi would never have taken food from Felipinho and, if he had, he would have left a nasty bite to prove it. But Fernando, as Felipe had insisted again and again, was different, and had taken the carrots hungrily, licking Felipinho’s hand in the process and making the child laugh. Felipinho could tell the two horses apart, and not only by looks. So why couldn’t Raffaela?

“She will not listen,” Felipe spat. “Or does not _want_ to listen. And then she will go with her stupid fantasies to the family and they will stop me riding. She will not stop. Know she is only trying to do what she thinks is right but she is _wrong_.”

“Talking to the horses again?”

Felipe jumped at the sound of Rob’s voice, not having heard the stable hand arrive. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he said something he’d regret.

“The horses do not give me sarcastic answers.”

“Raffaela said you had an argument,” Rob said. “What have you done now?”

“Is only ever an argument when _I_ am right,” Felipe said. “Have you noticed?”

“Sometimes you’ve just got to roll over and give women what they want,” Rob said.

“Wants me to stop riding,” Felipe said.

There was a short silence, because what could Rob say to that? Felipe refused to look at the stable hand, knowing that was exactly what he wanted.

“I know,” Rob said, eventually.

“What?” Felipe said, only now turning to him.

“She said,” Rob explained.

“And you would still say I should do what she wants?” Felipe asked. “Even knowing what she is asking for?”

“One little knock now and you could be dead,” Rob cried. “We care about you and you can’t even see it. Too obsessed with your damn horse.”

Fernando stepped back, startled by the shouting, and Felipe was immediately on his toes trying to calm the creature with gentle strokes down its nose, muttering to the horse to calm down.

Rob tutted. “If you gave a fuck about any of us, you’d listen to her,” he said. “And if she decides to go to the family about this, I stand by her.”


End file.
